appliance

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

Recorded since the 1560s. From the English apply + -ance.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /əˈplaɪəns/, SAMPA: /@"plaI@ns/

  Rhymes: -aɪəns

Noun

appliance (plural appliances)

1. The act of applying; application.
2. An implement, an instrument or apparatus designed (or at least used) as a means to a specific end (often specified).
3. Specifically: A non-manual apparatus or device, powered electrically or by another small motor, used in homes to perform domestic functions (household appliance) and/or in offices.
4. An attachment, some equipment (or - piece) to adapt another tool or machine to such specific purpose

   When the boy hid father's feared cane, his bum soon found out the hard way how many sturdy appliances at home can double as perfectly painful spanking appliance

5. (obsolete) A compliance

Derived terms

home appliance major appliance small appliance

Translations

a device in its own right

Arabic: جهاز (ar) (jihaaz) m. Bulgarian: прибор (bg), устройство (bg) Chinese: Mandarin: 器械 (cmn) (qìxiè), 器具 (cmn) (qìjù), trad. 機器, simpl. 机器 (pinyin: jīqì) Dutch: toestel n., (domestic) huishoudstoestel n. Finnish: laite (fi)

French: appareil (fr) m. German: Gerät (de) n., Apparat (de), Apparat (de) m. Japanese: 器械 (ja) (きかい, kikai), 機器 (ja) (きき, kiki), 器具 (ja) (きぐ, kigu) Russian: прибор (ru) (pribór) m., устройство (ru) (ustrójstvo) n., аппарат (ru) (apparát) m. Spanish: dispositivo (es) m., aparato (es) m., enseres (es) m. pl. (only plural)

An implement, an instrument or apparatus

Bulgarian: приспособление (bg), уред (bg), прибор (bg)

Spanish: implemento (es) m., instrumento (es) m., aparato (es) m., enseres (es) m. pl. (only plural)

to adapt other equipment

Bulgarian: приспособление (bg)

Dutch: hulpstuk n.

References

• Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts, G.&C. Merriam Co., 1967